1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to reprographic machines. It has particular applicability to service call systems for reprographic machines.
2. Description of Related Developments
Recently, systems for monitoring the operation of a plurality of reprographic machines from a remote source by use of a powerful host computer having advanced, high level diagnostic capabilities have been installed. These systems have the capability to interact remotely with the machines being monitored to receive automatically initiated or user initiated requests for diagnosis and to interact with the requesting machine to receive stored data to enable higher level diagnostic analysis. Such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,038,319 and 5,057,866 (the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference), owned by the assignee of the present invention. These systems employ Remote Interactive Communications (RIC) to enable transfer of selected machine operating data (referred to as machine physical data) to the remote site at which the host computer is located, through a suitable communication channel. The machine physical data may be transmitted from a monitored document system to the remote site automatically at predetermined times and/or in response to a specific request from the host computer.
In a typical RIC system, the host computer is linked via a public switched telephone system or a combination of public and dedicated systems to local reprographic machines via modems. The host computer may include a compiler to allow communication with a plurality of different types of machines and an expert diagnostic system that performs higher level analysis of the machine physical data than is available from the diagnostic system in the machine. After analysis, the expert system can provide an instruction message which can be utilized by the machine operator at the site of the document system to overcome a fault. Alternatively, if the expert system determines that more serious repair is necessary or a preventive repair is desirable, a message is sent to a local field work office giving the identity of the machine and a general indication of the type of service action required.
A call for service is initiated by an operator at the machine location and is transmitted orally by telephone from the local machine operator to an operator at the host computer or at a local field work support system. This system is disadvantageous from the standpoint that the communication between the local machine operator and the remote operator is oral, the local operator commonly has only limited information about the technical aspects of the machine requiring repair and the local operator normally has little time to spend in communicating the information. The result is that the remote operator receives only limited or erroneous information relating to the identity of the machine requiring service and only a brief description of the problem requiring a repair action. If the faulted machine is erroneously identified in the oral communication between the local and remote operators, the remedial information necessary to effect a repair may be misdirected or may be inappropriate to the faulted machine, thereby causing delay in returning the machine to service and adding expense to the repair procedure. Further, in many instances, the local operator has no indication of the status of the repair request or an indication of when repair procedures will be made.